I 


J PAM. 

f N.  AMEA. 

“THE  PRIMARY  NEEDS  OF  THE  NEGRO  RACE.” 


AN  ADDRESS 

DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE 


ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION  w the  HAMPTON  NORMAL 
AND  AGRICULTURAL  INSTITUTE, 


PROF.  KELLY  MILLER 


Of  Howard  University. 


June  14,  1899. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
HOWARD  UNIVERSITY  PRESS. 
I899. 


“Let  knowledge  grow  from  more  to  more." — Tennyson, 


“Labor  conquers  all  things.” — Virgil. 


“Virtue  alone  outbuilds  the  pyramids ; 

Her  monuments  shall  last  when  Egypt's  fall.” — Young. 


“You  who  celebrate  bygones. 

Who  have  explored  the  outward,  the  surfaces  of  races, 
the  life  that  has  exhibited  itself, 

Who  have  treated  of  man  as  the  creature  of  politics, 
aggregates,  rulers,  and  priests, 

I,  habitan  of  the  Alleghanies,  treating  of  him  as  he  is 
in  himself,  in  his  own  rights, 

Pressing  the  pulse  of  the  life  that  has  seldom  exhibited  itself, 
(the  great  pride  of  man  in  himself,) 

Chanter  of  Personality,  outlining  what  is  yet  to  be, 

I project  the  history  of  the  future.” — Walt  Whitman. 


Note. — The  author  takes  this  opportunity  to  express  his  gratitude 
to  Rev.  David  H.  Greer,  D.  D.,  rector  of  St.  Bartholomew’s  Church, 
New  York,  who  was  present  at  the  delivery  of  the  following  address, 
and  through  whose  kindly  interest  it  is  now  given  to  the  public  in  its 
present  form. 


AN  ADDRESS  DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE  ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION 
OF  THE  HAMPTON  NORMAL  AND  AGRICULTURAL  INSTITUTE. 


According  to  a strict  construction  of  terms,  the  primary  needs  of 
life  are  those  which  are  necessary  to  the  continuance  of  the  species. 
Food  and  drink,  covering  and  shelter  are  indispensable  to  animal 
existence.  Life  is  a continual  warfare  against  internal  and  external 
foes  which,  if  unchecked,  would  speedily  lead  to  death.  Man  has 
the  same  physical  necessities  as  the  rest  of  the  animal  creation,  to 
which  he  is  indissolubly  linked,  and  of  which  he  is  a special  emer- 
gence. He  therefore  comes  into  possession  of  these  necessities  as  a 
part  of  his  animal  inheritance. 

I wish,  however,  on  this  occasion,  to  discuss  that  phase  of  life 
which  is  more  than  meat,  and  to  consider  those  needs  that  appertain 
to  the  nobler  side  of  our  nature — those  which  qualify  man  to  live  in 
an  enlightened  state — and  more  especially,  the  requisites  of  a new' 
people  who  are  just  entering  into  civilization. 

THE  HIGHER  SUSCEPTIBILITIES  OF  THE  NEGRO. 

The  Negro  is  scarcely  ever  considered  with  reference  to  the  pri- 
mary problems  of  life.  Those  needs  of  the  human  race  which  do 
not  depend  upon  temporary  conditions  and  circumstances,  are  not 
generally  deemed  predicable  of  him.  The  African  is  not  regarded 
in  his  ovm  rights,  and  for  his  own  sake,  but  merely  with  reference 
to  the  effect  which  his  presence  and  activity  produce  upon  the  dom- 
inant Aryan.  He  is  merely  a coefficient  which  is  not  detachable 
Jrom  the  quantity  whose  value  it  may  either  increase  or  diminish. 
The  black  object  is  always  projected  against  a white  background, 
producing  a grotesque  and  gloomy  silhouette.  The  whole  history  of 
the  contact  of  the  races  deals  with  the  Negro  as  a satellite  whose 
movements  are  secondary  to  those  of  the  central  orb  about  which 
it  revolves.  Civilization  was  not  thought  possible  for  the  sous  of 
Ethiopia.  The  sable  livery  of  the  tropics  was  deemed  impervi- 
ous to  ennobling  influences.  The  Negro  could  only  contribute  to  the 
wants  and  welfare  of  the  higher,  or,  I had  rather  say,  the  haughtier 
race.  With  a self-debasement  surpassing  the  vow  of  the  anchorite, 
he  was  expected  to  bow  down  to  this  white  god  and  serve  him,  as- 
cribing unto  him  “the  kingdom,  the  power,  and  the  glory,  forever.’’ 
The  wdiole  scheme  of  the  subjugation  and  oppression  of  the  African 
by  the  Aryan  is  based  upon  the  theory  that  the  Negro  represents  an 


4 


inferior  order  of  creation,  and  therefore  his  needs  are  secondary  to 
and  derivable  from  those  of  his  white  lord  and  master.  The  ordin- 
ary attributes  and  susceptibilities  of  the  human  race  were  denied 
him.  When  it  was  first  proposed  to  furnish  means  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  nobler  side  of  the  Negro  race,  those  who  possessed  the 
wisdom  of  their  day  and  generation  entertained  the  proposition 
either  with  a sneer  or  with  a smile.  Ridicule  and  contempt  have 
characterized  the  habitual  attitude  of  the  American  mind  toward  the 
Negro’s  higher  strivings.  The  African  was  brought  to  this  country 
for  the  purpose  of  performing  manual  and  menial  labor.  His  bodily 
powTers  alone  were  required  to  accomplish  this  industrial  mission. 
No  more  account  was  taken  of  his  higher  susceptibilities  than  of  the 
mental  and  moral  faculties  of  the  lower  animals.  The  white  man, 
as  has  been  wittily  said,  saw  in  the  Negro’s  mind  only  what  was 
apparent  in  his  face — “darkness. there,  and  nothing  more.”  His 
usefulness  in  the  world  is  still  measured  by  physical  faculties  rather 
than  by  qualities  of  mind  and  soul.  Even  after  the  wonderful  trans- 
formations of  the  past  thirty  years,  man\r  claim  to  discern  no  function 
which  he  can  fill  in  society  except  to  administer  to  the  wants  and 
wishes  of  others  by  means  of  bodily  toil.  The  merciless  proposition 
of  Carlyle — “the  Negro  is  useful  to  God’s  creation  only  as  a 
servant” — still  finds  wide  acceptance.  It  is  so  natural  to  base  a 
theory  upon  a long- established  practice  that  one  no  longer  wonders 
at  the  prevalence  of  this  belief.  The  Negro  has  sustained  servile 
relations  to  the  Caucasian  for  so  long  a time,  that  it  is  easy,  as  it  is 
agreeable  to  Aryan  pride,  to  conclude  that  servitude  is  his  ordained 
place  in  society. 

As  the  higher  susceptibilities  of  the  Negro  were  not  needed  their 
existence  was,  at  one  time,  denied.  The  eternal  inferioritj7  of  the 
race  was  assumed  as  a part  of  the  cosmic  order  of  things.  History, 
literature,  science,  speculative  conjectures,  and  even  the  holy  scrip- 
tures were  ransacked  for  evidence  and  argument  in  support  of  this 
theory.  It  was  not  deemed  inconsistent  with  divine  justice  and 
mercy  that  the  curse  of  servitude  to  everlasting  generations  should 
be  pronounced  upon  a race  because  their  assumed  progenitor  utilized 
as  an  object  lesson  in  temperance  the  indulgent  proclivity  of  an  an- 
cient patriarch.  Science  was  placed  under  tribute  for  support  of 
the  ruling  dogma.  The  Negro’s  inferiority  was  clearly  deducible 
from  physical  peculiarities.  In  basing  the  existence  of  mental, 
moral,  and  spiritual  qualities  upon  the  shape  ana  size  of  the  skull, 
facial  outline,  and  cephalic  configuration,  the  anti  Negro  scientists 


5 

outdistanced  the  modern  psychologists  in  assuming  a mechanical 
equivalent  of  thought. 

But  in  spite  of  scientific  demonstration,  learned  disquisitions,  pro- 
hibitive legislation,  and  divine  intendment,  the  Negro’s  nobler  na- 
ture persisted  in  manifesting  itself.  The  love,  sympathy,  tender 
fidelity,  and  vicarious  devotion  of  the  African  slave,  the  high  spir- 
itual and  emotional  fervor  manifested  in  the  weird  wailings  and  la- 
mentations of  the  plantation  melodies,  the  literary  taste  of  Phylis 
Wheatley,  the  scientific  acumen  of  Benjamin  Banneker,  the  persua- 
sive eloquence  of  Frederick  Douglass,  were  but  faint  indications  of 
smothered  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  power.  The  world  has  now 
come  to  recognize  that  the  Negro  possesses  the  same  faculties,  pow- 
ers, and  susceptibilities  as  the  rest  of  mankind,  albeit  they  have  been 
stunted  and  dwarfed  by  centuries  of  suppression  and  ill  usage.  The 
Negro,  too,  is  gradually  awakening  to  a consciousness  of  this  great 
truth.  The  common  convergence  of  religious  and  secular  thought 
is  toward  the  universal  fatherhood  of  God  and  brotherhood  of  man. 
This  universality  of  kinship  implies  commonality  of  powers,  possi- 
bilities, and  destiny.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  importance  of 
this  belief  to  the  backward  races  of  the  earth.  We  have  of  late 
heard  a strangely  discordant  jangle  from  the  jungles  of  India,  with 
contemptuous  reference  to  “lesser  breeds  without  the  law.  ” Rud- 
yard  Kipling  regards  all  other  races  of  the  earth  only  as  contributory 
factors  to  the  glory  of  his  own.  This  conviction  is  betrayed  even  in 
what  he  intends  lor  a kindly  reference  : 

“But  the  things  you  will  learn  from  the  Yellow  an’  Brown, 

They’ll  ’elp  you  an  'cap  with  the  White.” 

The  backward  races,  according  to  this  new  light  of  Asia,  have  no 
inherent  capacities,  rights,  or  prospects,  but  are  merely  a part  of  the 
“White  Man’s  Burden,’’  a load  more  grieviously  to  be  borne 
than  the  weight  which  mythology  assigned  to  the  back  of  the  ill- 
fated  Atlas.  But  this  note  is  strangely  discordant  to  the  prevailing 
sentiment  of  the  closing  century.  How  much  broader  in  compre- 
hension, truer  in  prophecy,  and  noble  in  sympathy  and  spirit  are  the 
lines  of  Walt  Whitman  : 

“A  man’s  body  at  auction  ! 

(For  before  the  war  I go  to  the  slave  mart  and  watch  the  sale.) 

I help  the  auctioneer,  the  sloven  does  not  half  know  his  business. 

Gentlemen,  look  at  this  wonder  ! 

Whatever  the  bids  of  the  bidders,  they  cannot  bid  high  enough  for  it. 

For  it  the  globe  lay  preparing  quintillions  of  years  without  one  animal  or  plant. 


6 


For  it  the  revolving  cycles  truly  and  steadily  rolled. 

In  this  head  the  all -baffling  brain. 

* * * * 

Examine  these  limbs,  red,  black,  or  white,  they  are  cunning  in  tendon  and 
nerve, 

* * Sfc 

Exquisite  senses,  life-lit  eyes,  pluck,  volition, 

* * * * 

And  wonders  within  there  yet. 

Within  there  runs  blood. 

The  same  old  blood  1 the  same  red  running  blood  ! 

There  swells  and  jets  a heart,  there  all  passions,  desires,  Teachings,  aspira- 
tions. 

(Do  you  think  they  are  not  there  because  they  are  not  expressed  in  parlors  and 
lecture  rooms  ? ) 

This  is  not  only  one  man,  this  is  the  father  of  those  who  shall  be  fathers  in  their 
turns. 

In  him  the  start  of  populous  states  and  rich  republics, 

Of  him  countless  immortal  lives,  with  countless  embodiments  and  enjoyments.1' 

It  is  a matter  of  prime  importance  for  the  Negro  to  feel  and  to 
convince  his  fellow  men  that  he  possesses  the  inherent  qualities  and, 
therefore,  the  inherent  rights  that  belong  to  the  human  race. 

Carlyle,  though  blinded  by  narrow  prejudice,  when  handling  the 
Negro  in  the  concrete,  is  nevertheless  a true  philosopher  when  deal- 
ing with  general  principles.  The  same  author  who  regards  the 
Negro  as  an  “amiable  blockhead,’’  and  amenable  only  to  the  white 
man’s  “beneficent  whip,’’  also  exclaims:  “that  one  man  should  die 
ignorant  who  had  capacity  for  knowledge,  this  I call  a tragedy,  were 
it  to  happen  more  than  twenty  times  in  the  minute.”  "When  it  is 
granted  that  the  Negro  has  capacity  for  knowledge  and  virtue,  all  of 
his  other  problems  flow  as  corallaries  from  the  leading  proposition. 
The  basal  needs  of  the  human  race  are  identical.  The  funda- 
mental, natural,  social,  and  spiritual  laws  apply  alike  to  all.  And 
yet  special  conditions  require  special  lines  of  treatment. 

THE  NEGRO  MISSES  THE  GRADUAL  PROCESS  OF  EVOLUTION. 

Civilization  may  be  defined  as  the  sum  total  of  those  influences 
and  agencies  that  make  for  knowledge  and  virtue.  This  is  the  goal, 
the  ultima  Thule,  of  all  human  strivings.  The  essential  factors  of 
civilization  are  knowledge,  industry',  culture,  and  virtue.  Knowledge 
comprehends  the  facts  and  truths  of  the  universe  ; industry  embodies 
them  in  concrete  form  ; culture  leads  to  rational  enjoyment ; virtue 
preserves  and  makes  eternal.  The  African  was  snatched  from  the 
wilds  of  savagery  and  thrust  into  the  midst  of  a mighty  civilization. 


7 


He  thus  escaped  the  gradual  process  of  evolution.  Other  men  have 
labored  and  he  must  enter  into  their  labors.  Education  must  accom- 
plish more  for  a backward  people  than  it  does  for  those  who  are  in 
the  forefront  of  progress.  It  must  not  only  lead  to  the  unfoldment 
of  faculties,  but  must  fit  for  a life  from  which  the  recipient  is  sepa- 
rated bj'  manj- centuries  of  development.  The  fact  that  a backward 
people  are  surrounded  by  a civilization  which  is  so  far  in  advance  of 
their  own  is  by  no  means  an  unmixed  advantage.  In  the  tempest- 
uous current  of  modern  life  the  contestant  must  either  swim  on  the 
surface  or  sink  out  of  sight.  He  must  either  conform  or  succumb  to 
the  inexorable  law  of  progress.  The  African  chieftain  who  would 
make  a pilgrimage  from  his  native  principality  to  the  city  of  Wash 
ington,  might  accomplish  the  first  part  of  his  journey  by  the  original 
modes  of  transportation — in  the  primitive  dugout  and  upon  the  backs 
of  his  slaves — but  he  would  complete  it  upon  the  steamship,  the  rail- 
way, the  electric  car,  and  the  automobile.  How  swift  the  transform- 
ation ! and  yet  how  suggestive  of  centuries  of  toil,  struggle,  and  mental 
endeavor!  It  required  the  human  race  thousands  of  years  to  bridge 
the  chasm  between  savagery  and  civilization,  but  now  it  must  be 
crossed  by  a school  curriculum  of  a few  years  duration.  The  analytic 
process  is  always  more  rapid  than  the  synthetic.  The  embryologists 
tell  us  that  the  individual,  in  developing  from  conception  to  maturity, 
must  pass  in  rapid  succession  through  all  the  stages  traversed  by  the 
race  in  its  struggle  upward.  We  are  also  informed  that  social  evolu- 
tion must  take  a somewhat  similar  course.  The  European  child  is  sup- 
posed to  absorb  the  civilization  of  his  race  in  about  twenty  -five  years 
of  formative  training.  The  Negro  is  required  to  master,  de  novo , the 
principles  of  civilization  in  a similar,  and,  indeed,  in  a shorter  time. 
If  many  friends  of  the  race  have  been  disappointed  at  the  results,  it 
is  because  they  started  with  a false  philosophy.  Education  may  as- 
sist, bpt  it  cannot  supplant  evolution.  It  becomes  necessary  for  the 
Negro  to  uuderstand  the  meaning  and  the  purpose  of  the  training  he 
is  receiving  from  the  schools,  and  to  appreciate  the  great  responsi- 
bility which  it  imposes. 

Education  is  conservative  rather  than  progressive  in  its  main 
feature.  Its  chief  function  is  to  enable  the  individual  to  live  the  life 
already  attained  by  the  race.  The  initiative  of  progress  is  reserved 
for  the  few  choice  spirits  of  the  human  race.  The  bulk  of  any  peo- 
ple can  only  live  up  to  the  level  of  their  social  medium,  and  can  be 
uplifted  only  by  social  impulses  imparted  by  some  powerful  person- 
ality. It  is  a wise  provision  of  nature  that  large  bodies  move  slowly, 


8 


otherwise  they  would  acquire  dangerous  momentum.  The  progress 
of  the  race  must  be  provokingly  slow  as  compared  with  that  of  the 
individual.  Education  prepares  for  a statical  rather  than  a dynamic 
condition  of  society.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  these  stern  truths, 
every  educated  Negro  must  be  a reformer,  a positive,  progressive 
influence  in  uplifting  the  masses,  and  that,  too,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  he  belongs  to  a backward  breed  that  has  never  taken  the  initi- 
ative in  the  progressive  movements  of  the  world.  He  must,  there- 
fore, be  aroused  to  a consciousness  of  personal  power,  the  energy  of 
the  will,  the  individual  initiative,  that  subtle,  indefinable  quality 
which  has  always  exerted  a controlling  influence  upon  human  affairs, 
in  spite  of  the  theories  of  doctrinaires  and  the  formulas  of  philosophy. 

The  education  of  a people  should  be  conditioned  upon  their  capac- 
ity, social  environment,  and  the  probable  life  which  they  are  to  lead 
in  the  immediate  future.  We  do  not  introduce  the  differential  cal- 
culus in  the  kindergarten,  nor  can  the  inhabitants  of  the  deep  be 
taught  to  live  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  air.  That  system  of  edu- 
cation, by  whatever  name  it  may  pass,  is  seriously  faulty  unless  it 
touches  the  vital  needs  of  the  people  for  whom  it  is  intended.  The 
groundwork  of  knowledge  is  fixed  and  invariable  ; but  in  its  appli- 
cations to  the  problems  of  life,  it  is  adaptable  to  existing  needs,  con- 
ditions, and  circumstances.  The  transitional  period  of  a people 
necessarily  produces  a class  of  social  and  intellectual  amphibians, 
whose  life  must  be  adaptable  to  the  rarer  as  well  as  the  denser 
medium.  However  far  the  individual  may  rise  above  the  common 
level,  he  will  find  that  the  Newtonian  formula  also  applies  tt>  social 
gravitation — “the  force  of  attraction  varies  directly  as  the  mass.’’ 

intellectual  culture  necessary  to  ingraft  the  race 

UPON  MODERN  CIVILIZATION. 

The  first  great  need  of  the  Negro  is  that  the  choice  youth  of  the 
race  should  assimilate  the  principles  of  culture  and  hand  them  down 
to  the  masses  below.  This  is  the  only  gateway  through  which  a 
new  people  may  enter  into  modern  civilization.  Herein  lies  the 
history  of  culture.  The  select  minds  of  the  backward  race  or  nation 
must  first  receive  the  new  cult  and  adapt  it  to  the  peculiar  needs  of 
their  own  people.  Did  not  the  wise  men  of  Greece  receive  the 
light  from  Egypt  ? The  Roman  youth  of  ambition  completed  their 
education  in  Athens ; the  noblemen  of  northern  Europe  sent  their 
sons  to  the  southern  peninsulas  in  quest  of  larger  learning  ; and  up 
to  the  present  day,  American  youth  repair  to  the  European  universi- 


9 


ties  for  a fuller  knowledge  of  the  culture  of  the  old  world.  Japan 
looms  up  as  the  most  progressive  of  the  non-Aryan  races.  This 
wonderful  progress  is  due,  in  a large  measure,  to  their  wise  plan  of 
procedure.  They  send  their  picked  youth  to  the  great  centers  of 
western  knowledge  ; but  before  this  culture  is  applied  to  their  own 
needs  it  is  first  sifted  through  the  seive  of  their  native  comprehen- 
sion. The  graduates  of  Hampton  and  other  institutions  of  like  aim 
are  forming  centers  of  civilizing  influence  in  all  parts  of  the  land, 
and  we  confidently  believe  that  these  grains  of  leaven  will  ultimate- 
ly leaven  the  whole  lump. 

That  mere  contact  with  a race  of  superior  development  cannot  of 
itself  unfold  the  best  possibilities  of  a backward  people  is  a proposi- 
tion, which,  I think,  no  student  of  social  phenomena  will  be  inclined 
to  dispute.  For  four  hundred  years  the  European  has  been  brought 
in  contact  with  feebler  races  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and,  in  most 
cases,  this  contact  has  been  as  the  blighting  finger  of  death.  No- 
where do  we  find  a single  instance  in  which  a people  has  been  lifted 
into  civilization  thereby.  Outward  conformity  may  be  enforced  by 
a rigid  discipline  ; but  outward  forms  and  fair  practices  are  of  little 
or  no  avail  if  the  inward  appreciation  be  wanting.  Civilization  is  a 
centrifugal  and  not  a centripetal  process.  It  cannot  be  injected  hy- 
podermically. Healthy  growth  cannot  be  secured  by  feeding  a 
child  when  he  is  not  hungry,  or  by  forcing  upon  him  a diet  which  he 
can  neither  digest  nor  assimilate.  This  truth  applies  not  only  to  the 
two  backward  races  in  our  own  country,  but  also  to  our  “new  caught 
sullen  peoples,’’  in  the  distant  oriental  seas. 

Aside  from  political  ambition  and  commercial  exploitation,  the 
chief  motive  of  the  European  in  treating  with  feebler  races  has  been 
to  civilize  and  enlighten  them.  The  conversion  of  the  Indian  to  the 
Christian  faith  was  the  chief  motive  assigned  for  the  early  coloniza- 
tion of  America,  and  yet  the  influence  of  such  schools  as  Hampton 
and  Carlisle  has,  perhaps,  done  more  to  uplift  the  red  man  than  all 
of  the  contact  with  the  white  race  since  Columbus  first  planted  his 
Catholic  cross  in  the  virgin  soil  of  a new  world.  Indeed,  the  su- 
perficial, the  frivolous,  and  the  vicious  qualities  are  most  easily  com- 
municable. The  substantial  qualities  of  mind  and  soul  can  only  be 
developed  by  independent  activity. 

For  four  centuries  the  Portuguese  have  been  touching  the  life  of 
the  east  coast  of  Africa  with  their  missionary  propagandism,  com- 
mercial enterprise,  and  governmental  policy  ; but,  according  to  the 
highest  testimony,  they  have  made  no  more  abiding  impression  up- 


IO 


on  the  life  of  that  continent  than  one  might  make  upon  the  surface 
of  the  ocean  with  the  dent  of  his  finger. 

The  Negro  has  now  reached  a critical  stage  in  his  career.  The 
point  of  attachment  between  the  races  which  slavery  made  possible 
has  been  destroyed.  The  relation  is  daily  becoming  less  intimate 
aud  friendly,  and  more  business-like  and  formal.  It  thus  becomes 
all  the  more  imperative  that  the  race  should  gain  for  itself  the  pri- 
mary principles  of  knowledge  and  culture. 

INDUSTRIAL  KNOWLEDGE  THE  BASIS  OF  ALL  PROGRESS. 

The  next  great  need  of  the  race  lies  in  the  realm  of  concrete 
things.  When  the  Creator  had  breathed  into  human  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life  He  gave  man  the  injunction  to  subdue  the  earth.  A 
mastery  over  the  material  world  is  a fulfillment  of  the  first  divine 
mandate.  Indeed  the  higher  phases  of  life  must  ever  rest  upon  a 
material  foundation.  While  we  may  never  hope  to  find  a mechani- 
cal equivalent  of  spirit,  yet  we  know  that  natural  laws  react  upon 
the  spiritual  world.  Of  two  laborers,  one  is  able  to  earn  a dollar 
and  the  other  a dollar  and  a half  per  day.  The  difference  is  an  in- 
significant piece  of  metal  or  scrap  of  paper,  which  the  philosopher 
might  deem  wholly  contemptible.  But  by  reason  of  this  difference, 
the  more  skilled  workman  is  enabled  to  give  his  children  a better 
preparation  for  the  great  rivalry  of  life,  where  the  most  fortunate 
rather  than  the  most  fit  survive.  His  descendants,  therefore,  are 
more  likely*  to  strive  for  mental  and  moral  excellence,  and  to  exer- 
cise a wholesome  influence  upon  the  world  for  all  time  to  come.  The 
nursery  lines  convey  an  important  lesson,  especially  if  they  be  car- 
ried to  their  logical  conclusion  : 

“For  want  of  the  nail,  the  shoe  was  lost ; 

For  want  of  the  shoe,  the  horse  was  lost ; 

For  want  of  the  horse,  the  man  was  lost ; 

For  want  of  the  man,  the  battle  was  lost.” 

For  want  of  the  battle,  a civilization  was  lost. 

Who  can  forecast  the  effect  of  material  things  upon  the  higher  life 
of  a people  ? 

To  all  outward  appearances,  our  civilization  is  intensely  material- 
istic in  its  tendency  ; the  dollar  is  its  highest  common  divisor.  The 
value  of  a picture,  a poem,  or  a sermon,  and  all  the  products  of 
hand,  mind,  and  soul,  are  measured  in  terms  of  this  standard.  I 
remember  reading  a most  interesting  discourse  by  an  able  divine  on 
the  subject  “How  Christ  Saves  Men”;  aud  in  order  to  show  a sin- 


II 


ful  world  that  “godliness  is  profitable  in  all  things,’’  the  prudent 
Scotch  preacher  took  the  precaution  to  have  this  information  copy- 
righted! The  business-like  methods  of  the  modern  world  would 
even  place  a patent  upon  the  road  to  salvation.  If  the  “Sermon  on 
the  Mount’’  were  now  delivered  for  the  first  time,  some  enterprising 
business  house  would  no  doubt  offer  the  author  flattering  induce- 
ment for  the  exclusive  right  of  publication.  We  reprobate  this  ma- 
terial spirit  only  when  it  begins  and  ends  in  itself,  leading  to  no 
higher  aim.  But  material  things  must  ever  lie  at  the  basis  of  a no- 
bler life. 

Your  appearance  here  today  illustrates  this  principle.  There  are 
many  words  in  the  English  language  which  can  be  better  illustrated 
than  defined.  Hampton  Institute  is  perhaps  the  most  striking  defi- 
nition of  philanthropy  that  can  be  found  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
And  yet  it  is  built  upon  a material  foundation.  Unless  the  good 
people  had  first  developed  the  material  resources  about  them,  this 
Institution  could  not  have  been  founded  and  could  not  continue  for  a 
single  hour.  The  greatest  service  which  this  school  can  render  the 
Negro  race  is  to  enable  its  pupils  to  get  hold  of  the  primary  factors 
of  the  industrial  world,  and  to  do  for  others  what  it  has  done  for 
them. 

The  Indians  might  have  occupied  this  country  for  a thousand 
years,  but  they  never  would  have  built  a Hampton  Institute — not 
because  they  might  not  have  had  the  philanthropic  disposition,  but 
because  the  resources  would  have  been  wanting.  The  white  man 
expelled  the  Indian,  took  his  possessions,  developed  the  unexplored 
resources,  and  now  he  devotes  a portion  of  his  accumulations  to  es- 
tablish institutions  where  the  red  man  may  learn  the  secret  and 
method  of  his  power.  All  of  the  humiliation,  sorrow,  and  suffering 
of  the  two  races  represented  in  this  association  will  not  have  been 
in  vain  if  through  these  agencies  they  are  enabled  to  get  hold  of  the 
primary  factors  of  civilization. 

Why  do  the  people  of  the  Occident  outstrip  the  nations  of  the  East 
in  the  race  of  life  ? It  is  not  because  they  possess  greater  mental 
and  moral  susceptibilities,  nor  yet  because  they  have  maintained  a 
higher  degree  of  spiritual  culture — far  otherwise.  But  rather  because 
they  have  taken  the  advice  given  to  man  at  the  creation.  They 
have  subdued  wind  and  wave,  light  and  lightning,  heat  and  cold, 
and  the  mechanical  powers  and  forces,  and  made  them  obedient  to 
their  imperious  will.  Upon  this  foundation  they  will  yet  build  a su- 
perstructure of  superior  moral  and  spiritual  excellence.  This  is  ra- 


12 


tional  development.  I have  always  had  a profound  admiration  for 
the  builders  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  for  in  their  aspiration  to  reach 
the  heavens  they  at  least  begun  with  a solid  foundation.  While  the 
Aryan  races  have  been  subduing  the  earth,  the  orientals,  in  their 
ascetic  lassitude,  have  allowed  themselves  to  be  subdued  by  the  vi- 
cissitudes of  nature,  while  dreaming  of  the  beatific  splendors  of  the 
world  to  come.  And,  as  a result,  the  masses  still  remain  in  poverty, 
ignorance,  and  moral  degradation.  The  pyramid  of  virtue  will  not 
stand  upon  the  apex  of  poverty. 

The  Negro  especially  needs  to  become  rooted  and  grounded  in  the 
scientific  principles  of  concrete  things.  A tropical  climate  is  not 
conducive  to  the  development  of  practical  energy.  Slavery  taught 
the  Negro  how  to  work  by  rule  and  rote,  but  not  according  to  prin- 
ciple and  method.  All  progress  consists  in  applying  the  thought 
within  to  the  thing  without.  The  day  when  the  world  paid  its  hom- 
age to  storehouses  of  abstract  impracticable  knowledge  has  long 
since  passed  away.  The  demand  of  the  age  is,  “What  can  you  do, 
and  how  well  can  you  doit?” 

We  sometimes  see  the  higher  education  contrasted  with  industrial 
training  as  to  their  effect  up  the  development  of  the  Negro  race. 
There  can  be  no  conflict  of  interest.  The  controversy  is  both  silly 
and  mischievous. 

“All  are  but  parts  of  one  stupendous  whole.” 

Ten  million  people  have  all  the  needs  of  the  human  race.  We 
may  emphasize  this  or  that  phase  of  their  wants  according  to  tern 
porary  conditions  or  the  pressure  of  circumstances.  A full  develop- 
ment must  possess  length,  breadth  and  depth.  . If  intellectual  cult- 
ure constitutes  the  higher,  industrial  training  constitutes  the  broader 
need.  Science  and  skill  are  required  in  all  lines  of  work,  from  the 
lowest  menial  service  to  the  highest  application  in  the  arts.  A 
practical  knowledge  of  things  enables  the  recipient  to  do  with  skill, 
precision,  and  method  whatever  task  may  devolve  upon  him.  The 
slovenly,  shiftless,  wasteful,  unthinking  methods  of  former  times  will 
no  more  be  tolerated  in  the  humbler  callings  than  in  the  higher  walks 
of  life.  We  must  remember,  too,  that  mental  development  can  be 
gotten  from  the  commonplace  things  of  life  as  well  as  from  those 
beyond  the  range  of  immediate  utility.  A scientific  study  of  the 
living  roots  of  growing  plants  will  afford  as  much  discipline,  if  not 
the  same  culture,  as  an  equal  amount  of  time  spent  upon  the  dry 
roots  of  a dead  language.  But  let  us  not  forget  that  thought  is  the 


i3 


leading  ingredient  in  all  education.  Manipulatory  cleverness  must 
be  under  direction  of  a guiding  intelligence  ; the  seat  of  skill  is  in 
the  brain,  not  in  the  fingers.  Goldsmith  tells  us  that — 

“Just  experience  tells  in  every  soil 

That  those  who  think,  must  govern  those  that  toil.” 

But  in  a land  where  all  govern  themselves,  those  who  toil  must  also- 
think.  The  mechanics  of  the  South  produced  by  the  regime  of 
slavery,  are  falling  out  of  the  industrial  equation  because  they  did 
not  possess  sufficient  intelligence  to  maintain  themselves  against 
modern  rivalry. 

The  locomotive  throws  forward  the  rays  of  its  headlight  dispelling 
the  encircling  darkness,  in  order  that  its  mighty  engine  may  make 
way  safely  through  the  dangers  of  the  night.  The  Negro  needs  head- 
light to  direct  his  energies  and  make  his  way  through  the  difficulties 
and  intricacies  of  the  industrial  world. 

self-reliant  activity. 

Anolher  great,  need  of  the  race,  which  the  schools  must  in  a large 
measure  supply,  is  self-reliant  manhood.  Slavery  made  the  Negro 
as  dependent  upon  the  intelligence  and  foresight  of  his  master  as  a 
soldier  upon  the  will  of  his  commander.  He  had  no  need  to  take 
thought  as  to  what  he  should  eat  or  drink  or  wherewithal  he  should 
be  clothed. 

Knowledge  necessarily  awakens  self  consciousness  of  power. 
When  a child  learns  the  multiplication  table  he  gets  a clear  notion 
of  intellectual  dignity.  Here  he  gains  an  acquisition  which  is  his 
permanent,  personal  possession,  and  which  can  never  be  taken  from 
him.  It  does  not  depend  upon  external  authority  ; he  could  repro- 
duce it  if  all  the  visible  forms  of  the  universe  were  effaced  They 
say  that  the  possession  of  personal  property  is  the  greatest  stimulus 
to  self-respect.  When  one  can  read  his  title  clear  to  earthly  posses- 
sions, it  awakens  a consciousness  of  the  dignity  of  his  own  manhood. 
And  so  when  one  has  digested  and  assimilated  the  principles  of 
knowledge  he  can  file  his  declaration  of  intellectual  independence. 
He  can  adopt  the  language  of  Montaigne — “Truth  and  reason  are 
common  to  everyone,  and  are  no  more  his  who  spake  them  first  than 
his  who  speaks  them  after  ; ’tis  no  more  according  to  Plato  than  ac- 
cording to  me,  since  he  and  I equally  see  and  understand  them.” 

Primary  principles  have  no  ethnic  quality.  We  hear  much  in  this 
day  and  time  of  the  white  man’s  civilization,  but  it  is  no  more  his 


H 


than  it  is  yours.  We  had  just  as  well  speak  of  the  white  man’s 
multiplication  table.  Civilization  is  the  common  possession  of  all 
who  will  assimilate  and  apply  its  principles.  England  can  utilize  no 
secret  process  of  art  or  invention  that  is  not  equally  available  to 
Japan.  We  reward  ingenuity  with  a patent  right  for  a period  of 
years  upon  the  process  that  has  been  invented  ; but  when  an  idea 
has  been  published  to  the  world  it  is  no  more  the  exclusive  property 
of  the  author  than  gold,  after  it  has  been  put  in  circulation,  can  be 
claimed  by  the  miner  who  first  dug  it  from  its  hiding  place  in  the 
earth.  No  race  or  nation  can  preempt  civilization  any  more  than 
they  can  monopolize  the  atmosphere  which  surrounds  the  earth,  or 
the  waters  which  hold  it  in  their  liquid  embrace. 

In  passing  through  the  streets  the  other  day  I saw  a young  man 
accommodate  his  companion  with  a light  from  his  cigar.  After  the 
spark  had  once  been  communicated  the  beneficiary  stood  upon  an 
equal  footing  with  the  benefactor.  In  both  cases  the  fire  must  be 
continued  by  drawing  fresh  supplies  of  oxygen  from  the  atmosphere. 
From  whatever  source  a nation  may  derive  the  light  of  civilization, 
it  must  be  perpetuated  by  the  exercise  of  their  own  faculties  All 
of  the  visible  forms  of  civilization  have  been  dug  out  of  the  ground. 
We  boast  of  our  towns  and  cities,  of  our  steamships  and  railways, 
and  of  the  mighty  works  of  art  and  invention,  but  the  voice  of  time 
is  ever  whispering — “dust  thou  art,  to  dust  returnetli.”  But  after 
all  these  shall  have  crumbled  into  dust,  the  ingenuity  of  man  will  be 
able  to  produce  mightier  works  than  those  that  perished.  Mind  and 
matter  are  the  irreducible  elements.  Mind  is  the  common  heritage 
of  man,  and  mattar  is  indestructible. 

The  Negro  race  has  not  yet  directed  its  energies  to  the  solution 
of  primary  problems.  It  has  been  content  to  receive  the  crnmbs 
that  fall  from  the  white  man’s  table.  We  are  often  deceived 
by  the  splendid  achievements  which  the  Negro  has  made  since 
emancipation.  A careful  analysis  will  show  that  the  success 
achieved  so  far  has  come  mainly  from  secondary  rather  than  primary 
conditions.  Talent  has  been  entering  the  field  that  offered  the 
greatest  inducement  and  the  quickest  returns.  Law,  theology, 
medicine,  teaching,  the  ministry,  and  politics  have  absorbed  the  best 
energies  of  the  race.  The  success  achieved  has  been  splendid  and 
commendable.  But  it  does  not  require  a prophet  to  predict  that 
success  in  these  directions  has  almost,  or  quite,  reached  its  maximum. 
By  testing  the  strength  of  material,  the  builder  can  tell  with  certain- 
ty the  weight  of  superstructure  which  a given  foundation  will  sup- 


*5 


port.  The  distinguished  men  of  the  race  so  far  have  risen  upon  the 
dead  necessities  of  the  masses.  The  sick  must  be  healed,  the  ig- 
norant must  be  enlightened,  the  vicious  must  be  restrained,  the  poor 
must  have  the  gospel  preached  unto  them.  While  these  pursuits 
are  necessary,  they  do  not  touch  the  bed-rock  of  our  economic  struc- 
ture. Those  who  reach  distinction  on  such  conditions  stand  as  mar- 
ble statues  upon  pedestals  of  clay.  The  primary  sources  of  wealth 
are  agriculture,  mining,  manufacturing,  and  commerce.  These  are 
the  lines  along  which  the  intelligent  energy  of  the  race  must  be  di- 
rected in  the  future.  They  must  take  the  industrial  initiative.  The 
earth  will  yield  up  her  increase  as  willingly  to  the  skillful  persuasion 
of  a swarthy  as  of  a fair  husbandman  ; the  markets  of  the  world 
know  no  article  by  its  color;  steam  and  electricity,  wind  and  wave, 
heat  and  cold,  aie  blind  forces  and  therefore  can  see  no  race  distinc- 
tions. 

Last  spring  I received  from  my  florist  a fine  rose  bush  that  had  been 
grafted  upon  a Manetti  stem,  with  instructions  that  the  Manetti  must 
be  buried  out  of  sight  and  that  its  shoots  be  pinched  back  as  fast 
as  they  appeared  above  ground.  The  strength  which  its  hardy 
roots  derived  from  the  soil  was  to  be  diverted  from  the  natural  course 
of  developing  the  plant  itself  and  infused  into  the  more  lordly  rose, 
thus  insuring  greater  vigor  of  growth  and  brilliance  of  bloom.  I was 
forcibly  reminded  of  the  analogous  situation  of  the  Negro  in  the  in- 
dustrial world.  While  the  race  has,  in  a sense,  been  dealing  with 
industrial  first  principles,  it  has,  nevertheless,  served  only  a vicari- 
ous purpose.  The  Negro  has  been  suppressed  below  the  social  sur- 
face, and  wherever  an  individual  emergence  appeared  it  was  forth- 
with pressed  back  to  the  common  level.  The  substance  which  his 
sinews  derived  from  the  soil  went  to  enrich,  adorn,  and  glorify  an- 
other race.  But  now,  under  the  guidance  of  intelligence,  the  sub- 
stance of  his  toil  must  be  utilized  to  promote  his  own  growth  and 
expansion.  “Each  plant  must  grow  from  its  own  roots,  ’’  is  the  bot- 
anical equivalent  of  the  old  mechanical  adage — “Every  tub  must  rest 
on  its  own  bottom.” 

The  Negro  race,  hitherto,  has  been  as  the  vine  which  must  cling 
to  the  tree  or  trail  in  the  dust;  but  now  it  must  imitate  the  oak  which 
gains  independence  of  foothold  and  dignity  among  its  rivals  of  the 
forest  by  sending  its  roots  into  the  soil  and  expanding  its  foliage 
upon  the  happy  air. 


i6 


CHARACTER  NECESSARY  TO  PRESERVE  A BACKWARD  PEOPLE  IN 
CONTACT  WITH  CIVILIZATION. 

The  highest  need  of  the  Negro  race,  and,  indeed,  of  any  race,  is 
character.  This  is  the  chief  aim  of  education,  although  it  is  not 
avowed  in  the  text  books  or  school  programs.  It  cannot  be  learned 
by  recitation  or  rote,  but  must  break  gradually,  as  the  dawn ; and 
distil  quietly,  as  the  dew.  Character  does  not  consist  of  a single 
virtue,  but  is  an  assemblage  of  qualities  that  stamp  the  individuality 
and  give  it  uprightness,  dignity,  and  poise.  The  Negro  must  rely 
mainly  upon  the  instrumentality  of  the  schools.  An  acquaintance 
with  the  best  men,  purest  thoughts,  and  noblest  deeds  that  have  in- 
fluenced the  world  must  necessarily  leave  a residuum  of  beneficial 
effect  upon  the  character.  “As  in  water  face  answereth  to  face, 
so  the  heart  of  man  to  man.”  The  friends  of  the  race  are  some- 
times disappointed  by  the  lack  of  moral  earnestness  too  often  dis- 
played by  graduates  of  schools  maintained  by  their  bounty.  Here 
again,  it  seems,  that  their  philosophy  is  at  fault.  Men  do  not  be- 
come upright  and  virtuous  because  they  are  bidden  to  do  so  in 
proverb  and  psalm,  any  more  than  they  can  become  wise  or  wealthy 
at  the  behest  of  the  benevolently  disposed.  Physiologists  tell  us 
that  the  body  grows  by  what  it  feeds  on,  and  that  the  old  cells  and 
tissues  are  constantly  being  replaced  by  new  ones.  Character,  too, 
is  transformed  by  the  nature  of  its  nurture.  How  can  character  be 
developed,  is  the  great  puzzle  of  the  educational  world.  Luckily  for 
the  human  race  this  question  is  completely  answered  by  the  Apostle 
Paul,  “Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest, 
whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever 
things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report ; if  there 
be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things.” 

Moral  and  spiritual  qualities  are  primary  and  eternal.  Herein 
consists  the  one  point  of  attachment  between  man  and  his  maker. 
The  Negro  often  complains,  justly  enough,  that  his  acquisitions  are 
ignored,  and  that  he  is  not  rewarded  according  to  merit.  But  virtue, 
truth,  integrity,  and  uprightness  will  be  honored,  at  sight,  the  world 
over.  And  what  if  men  should  fail  to  recognize  them  ? Primary 
qualities  do  not  depend  upon  human  recognition  for  their  value. 
The  righteous  are  always  recognized  on  high.  “Doubtless  Thou, 
O Lord,  art  our  father,  though  Abraham  be  ignorant  of  us  and  Israel 
acknowledge  us  not.”  But  what  need  we  care  for  Abraham  or  for 
Israel  when  our  qualities  are  appreciated  by  the  Giver  of  every  good 


*7 


and  perfect  gift  ? A people  whose  feet  are  tenoned  and  mortised  in 
the  granite  foundation  of  righteousness,  will  overcome  all  the  obsta- 
cles that  beset  them,  however  severe  the  persecution,  or  ill  usage. 
The  voice  of  Heaven  is  ever  whispering  in  our  ear 

“Mortals,  that  would  follow  me, 

Love  Virtue;  she  aloue  is  free  : 

She  can  teach  ye  how  to  climb 
Higher  than  the  sphery  chime  ; 

Or,  if  Virtue  feeble  were, 

Heaven  itself  would  stoop  to  her.,r 

It  requires  sterling  qualities  of  character  to  build  up  the  life  of  a new 
people — something  of  the  tough  moral  fiber  of  the  early  Romans  or 
the  moral  austerity  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers. 

I have  said  that  virtue  is  the  preserving  element  of  society. 
Every  civilization  that  has  been  overthrown  has  declined  through  a 
lapse  from  the  path  of  rectitude.  Vice  is  destructive  in  its  nature. 
The  thief,  the  robber,  the  murderer,  and,  no  less,  those  who  indulge 
in  the  more  refined  and  recondite  forms  of  wickedness,  are  destruc- 
tive of  the  stability  of  social  order.  To  a backward  people  in  con- 
tact with  civilization,  virtue  is  necessary  to  save  them  from  physical 
destruction.  It  is  quite  the  general  rule  that  such  races  are  destroyed 
by  the  vices  of  civilization.  The  Negro  race  is  not  immune  against 
the  operation  of  sociological  law.  Civilization  is  a savor  of  life  unto 
life,  and  of  death  unto  death.  Sometimes  a medicine  is  so  drastic 
in  its  action  that  the  patient  dies  before  the  beneficial  reaction  sets  in. 
The  criminal  and  moral  status  of  the  race  is  threatening  its  physical 
continuance.  Due  allowance  must  be  given  to  historic  and  genetic 
causes,  to  present  social  submergence  andexculpatory  circumstances; 
but  the  plain,  unpleasant,  threatening  fact  remains.  If  the  American 
Negro  does  not  conquer  his  vices  he  will  be  destroyed  by  them.  It 
is  not  sufficient  to  say  that  ninety-five  out  of  every  hundred  Negroes 
are  orderly  and  well-behaved,  any  more  than  it  would  be  satisfactory 
for  a fruiterer  to  assure  his  customer  that  ninety  five  out  of  every 
hundred  apples  in  a bairel  are  sound.  The  vicious  five  must  be 
suppressed  or  restrained.  The  Negro  complains  bitterly  that  the 
sins  of  the  guilty  are  visited  upon  the  innocent.  Vicarious  suffering, 
alas,  is  inevitable  under  our  social  dispensation.  As  a family  shares 
in  the  distinguished  deeds  of  its  more  fortunate  representatives,  so  it 
cannot  escape  the  odium  which  attaches  to  its  vicious  members.  It 
is  true  that  there  is  no  caste  in  crime,  which  is  a failing  of  weak  hu- 
man uature,  and  that  criminals  have  no  race,  but  are  the  common 


i8 


enemy  of  mankind,  yet  they  are  an  especial  bane  to  the  people 
to  whom  their  base  blood  binds  them.  The  Negro  bitterly  bewails 
the  misery  of  his  lot  and  hurls  fiery  invectives  against  the  cruel 
Caucasian,  not  necessarily  because  he  loves  righteousness  and  hates 
iniquity,  but  because  the  burden  bears  grievously  upon  him.  The 
lamb  denounces  the  ferocity  of  the  wolf,  not  so  much  because  of  his 
owe  innate  goodness  of  soul  or  because  of  the  inherent  deviltry  of 
his  wolfship,  but  because  he  is  the  certain  victim  whenever  there  is 
a test  of  strength.  Denunciation  of  wrong  does  not  necessarily  im- 
ply a love  of  right.  The  violent  denunciations  hurled  from  the 
Negro  press,  pulpit,  and  platform  are  indeed  natural  ebulitions  of 
feelings;  but  their  effectiveness  will  be  in  exact  proportion  to  the 
principles  of  righteousness  which  they  inculcate  upon  the  people 
whose  cause  they  espouse.  Responsibility  cannot  be  shifted  to  the 
shoulders  of  the  Aryan,  whose  cruelty  and  kindness  to  the  African 
are  strangely  blended  and  balanced . It  is  not  sufficient  for  the  leaders 
of  the  Negro  race  to  rely  upon  denunciation  of  others,  however 
deserved  that  denunciation  may  be,  or  to  tickle  the  people  with  flat- 
tering phrases  or  honied  words  of  praise  ; there  is  also  need  of  the 
severe  moral  castigation  of  the  old  Hebrew  prophets.  They  should 
proclaim  with  emphasis  and  power  that  “righteousness  exalteth  a 
nation,  but  sin  is  a reproach  to  any  people.” 

CONCLUSION. 

"We  sometimes  speculate  as  to  the  destiny  of  the  Negro  race. 
Omniscience  alone  can  tell  what  that  destiny  is  to  be — w’hether  it  is 
to  be  worked  out  in  this  land  or  in  some  distant  continent.  This  is 
indeed  a mattter  of  little  importance.  Our  concern  is  with  develop- 
ment, not  destiny.  Civilization  is  growing  to  be  more  and  more  in- 
dependent of  locality  or  temporary  abode.  A people  who  have  mas- 
tered primary  principles  can  rejoice  in  the  exultation,  “Wherever 
my  life  is  lived,  O to  be  self-balanced  for  contingencies.” 

The  great  truth  which  our  Savior  has  taught  us  concerning  the 
realm  of  righteousness  also  applies  to  the  kingdom  of  this  world — 
“Neither  shall  they  say,  lo  here  ! orlo  there  ! for  behold  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  w'ithin  you.”  The  seeds  of  civilization  will  take  root 
in  any  soil;  but  unless  a people  possess  the  inner  qualification,  it 
makes  no  difference  where  their  lot  is  cast,  they  can  only  serve  as 
“dumb  driven  cattle,”  and  are  a bilght  to  any  land  afflicted  with 
their  presence.  The  Negro  must  get  hold  of  the  primary  factors  of 
civilization,  then  he  can  face  the  future,  “wdth  a heart  for  any  fate.” 


